Organized by the Friends of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Heritage Association (PESAWA) and co-published with the Tan Kah Kee Foundation Malaysia, the book Burma Road and Wartime Transportation, 1937–1942, written by Lim Kwok Yong, will be officially launched alongside a special lecture on Sunday, January 28, 2024, at 2:30 PM, in the Xiao En Room of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).
This book explores the close relationship between the Yunnan–Burma Road and wartime transportation during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Drawing on an extensive range of Chinese and international sources, it offers a detailed study of the road’s planning, construction, and operation. By examining the attitudes of local authorities in Yunnan, the Chinese Expeditionary Force’s campaigns in Burma, and the contributions of Nanyang volunteer drivers, the author re-evaluates the significance of the Yunnan–Burma Road in China’s wartime efforts and proposes important revisions to existing interpretations.
The author, Lim Kwok Yong, is an alumnus of Pay Fong Middle School in Malacca and is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of History at National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan. He will also deliver a lecture at the launch titled: “A Long Journey on Rolling Wheels: My Intellectual Exploration of Modern Chinese Transport History.”